The prior art has described the combination of metal salts with polymeric substances, including the use of such salts for complexing organic polymers and resins. Zirconium and zinc, for example, have been employed for the cross linking of polymer latices. Further, the zirconium and zinc have been used in a complex metal chelate with amine compounds, such as ethylenediaminetetracetic acid for curing acid functional polymers and resins. Such a use is known, for example, in the floor polishing art. When used in that manner, the applied, dried film can be removed only through use of ammonia solutions and other alkalies will not act upon the film. In these uses, the metal ions are attracted to the oxygen-containing groups of the resin and it is for this reason that the ammoniacal solutions will break down the formed film, while other alkalies and detergents will have, essentially, no effect.
For example, the prior art includes disclosures such as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,129,176--Ihde, Jr.--where a metal salt is complexed with a siliceous amino compound which can be used as an additive for printing inks to provide the proper balance of tack, penetration, and viscosity. The amino compound used in that case is a partial amide prepared by reacting a monocarboxylic acid and a polyamine.
Rogers, U.S. Pat. No. 3,320,196, describes a coating composition formed from a polyigand alkali-soluble resin, a polyligand polymer, and a zirconyl-fugitive ligand complex which is capable of undergoing ligand exchange with at least some of the carboxyl groups of the organic film former. One typical complexing agent is ammonium zirconyl carbonate.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,328,325--Zdanowski--teaches a floor polishing composition containing an alkali soluble resin and the ammonia or amine complex of a polyvalent metal salt where the salt has an appreciable solubility in water. These components form only a minor part of the floor polishing composition which also contains a water-insoluble polymer and a wax. Similar compositions are shown in Fiarman et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,467,610, and Gehman et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,554,790.
Ink binder resins have also been neutralized with amine compounds with the formation of ammonium salts. This is shown in a variety of patents including U.S. Pat. No. 1,789,783--Siberstrom; U.S. Pat. No. 2,449,230--Irion; U.S. Pat. No. 2,690,973--Voet; U.S. Pat. No. 3,412,053--Pugliese; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,470,054--Tyrrell.
In each of these prior art systems the performance of the product, as a function of the metal modification, is directly dependent upon the stoichiometric relationship of the metal to the oxygen-containing groups. In general, the primary coordination is with the carboxyl groups.